Trial begins for man accused of killing his ex-wife’s husband

Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 07:20 PM.

A stabbing that left one man dead has another fighting for his freedom this week.

The murder trial of Steve Todd Neely Jr. began Tuesday morning.

A jury was selected, and witnesses began describing what they saw on Ebony Avenue on May 8, 2013.

Jurors will decide if Neely is guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 49-year-old David Colbert.

The two men lived across the street from each other, and Colbert was married to Neely’s ex-wife.

Neighbors turned witnesses

Pamela Slagle made the 911 call when she heard a commotion in the neighborhood.

Home with her daughter watching TV, Slagle looked out the window to see a man stabbing another man. Slagle called police but didn’t go outside. She said she recognized the man with the knife as one of her neighbors.

McKenzie Walker also lived in the neighborhood and testified Tuesday about the bloody scene that night in the Smyre community.

Walker said she was riding in the car with relatives when they saw Neely cutting a man’s throat.

“There was a lot of blood going down the street,” she said.

Familiar face

Gastonia Police Officer Devarus Southern arrived on the scene that night to see a crowd standing around Colbert.

He asked the group who had stabbed the bleeding man. They pointed to a bloody Neely.

According to Southern, Neely had blood on his shirt and hands. He immediately confessed, saying, “I’m right here. I did it,” Southern testified

Southern cuffed Neely and put him in his patrol car while investigators and paramedics arrived. The two sat together, far from their typical encounters.

Southern had talked with Neely on numerous occasions over the years.

He and other police officers often stopped in at a convenience store where Neely delivered newspapers.

Life on the line

Jurors listened to investigators talk about the crime scene and watched the dashboard camera from Southern’s patrol car.

Testimony stretched into the afternoon and will continue Wednesday.

Attorneys expect the trial to last four to five days. If convicted of first-degree murder, Neely will be sentenced to life in prison.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and Twitter.com/GazetteDiane.

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A stabbing that left one man dead has another fighting for his freedom this week.

The murder trial of Steve Todd Neely Jr. began Tuesday morning.

A jury was selected, and witnesses began describing what they saw on Ebony Avenue on May 8, 2013.

Jurors will decide if Neely is guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 49-year-old David Colbert.

The two men lived across the street from each other, and Colbert was married to Neely’s ex-wife.

Neighbors turned witnesses

Pamela Slagle made the 911 call when she heard a commotion in the neighborhood.

Home with her daughter watching TV, Slagle looked out the window to see a man stabbing another man. Slagle called police but didn’t go outside. She said she recognized the man with the knife as one of her neighbors.

McKenzie Walker also lived in the neighborhood and testified Tuesday about the bloody scene that night in the Smyre community.

Walker said she was riding in the car with relatives when they saw Neely cutting a man’s throat.

“There was a lot of blood going down the street,” she said.

Familiar face

Gastonia Police Officer Devarus Southern arrived on the scene that night to see a crowd standing around Colbert.

He asked the group who had stabbed the bleeding man. They pointed to a bloody Neely.

According to Southern, Neely had blood on his shirt and hands. He immediately confessed, saying, “I’m right here. I did it,” Southern testified

Southern cuffed Neely and put him in his patrol car while investigators and paramedics arrived. The two sat together, far from their typical encounters.

Southern had talked with Neely on numerous occasions over the years.

He and other police officers often stopped in at a convenience store where Neely delivered newspapers.

Life on the line

Jurors listened to investigators talk about the crime scene and watched the dashboard camera from Southern’s patrol car.

Testimony stretched into the afternoon and will continue Wednesday.

Attorneys expect the trial to last four to five days. If convicted of first-degree murder, Neely will be sentenced to life in prison.

You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and Twitter.com/GazetteDiane.